Dist 33 Money

Sen. Fawghourne:

There you are. I've been looking for you, little guy.

WegoWeb

Hi, Senator. Am I in trouble... again?

Sen. Fawghourne:

Well, there are no new pictures of you in the Post Office, but I'm hearing that you're getting a bit bizarre at the Elementary School Board meetings.

WegoWeb

What? I think every issue voted on was unanimous this month.

Sen. Fawghourne:

The two items which I'm referring to didn't even come to a vote... and I think you know what I'm referring to. What's this about you want to pay the State of Illinois 29 days late?

WegoWeb

Yes, I moved to amend the passage of the payments of this months bills with the idea of paying the State late. They never tell us what we'll get in aid until after they require that we submit our budget. They don't tell us what we will get in categorical grants until after the school year has started. They have delayed our monthly payments because they didn't have the money. Yet they demand that we do things... they issue unfunded mandates. They should be forced to adhere to the same kind of standards that they hold others to. In fact, they still have not officially told us that we have passed all the "No Child Left Behind" criteria and it is closing in on time to start taking next year's test.

We pay them over $100 thousand dollars per month, mostly in retirement payments. If we could delay that 29 days, it would increase the average balance in our accounts by about that $100K which would get us an extra couple grand per year in interest.

Sen. Fawghourne:

(laughing loudly) You scamp. That couple thousand has nothing to do with it.

WegoWeb

Yeah, it is just street theatre. I'm sure every school board member in the state has had a quiet conversation with at least one legislator and pleaded for more state aid. It's a stupid dance. We say we need money. They get sympathetic and talk about everybody needs more money and reassure us that their priority is the youth of the state. Then they go back to Springfield and do nothing.

Sen. Fawghourne:

Did you get your payments to be made late?

WegoWeb

Nope, the business manager says it is an automatic withdrawal and there would be penalties and interest if the payments weren't timely. I'll wait until they pay late and send them a bill for interest and penalties.

Sen. Fawghourne:

OK, that explained, what's this about reducing the budget for next year to $2 million less than this year's expenditures.

WegoWeb

In our budgeting process, the budget comes after the manpower levels have already been set. The number of teachers is always has five additional built into it. The administrators have already been hired for the next year. The number of non-certified staff, teachers aids, reading aids, cooks and Indian chiefs have already been set. Then when the budget needs cutting, like this year, only the 20% which is not salaries is available to be cut.

Sen. Fawghourne:

Hmmm... sounds like 80% of the budget is off the table before you start.

WegoWeb

Precisely, so I advocated cutting that 80% by $2 million at this time, before it is set in stone.

Sen. Fawghourne:

Do you really need to cut that severely?

WegoWeb

This year we're spending 2/3 of a million dollars more than income at this point. We are going to be posting a public hearing to amend the budget. The original budget was only a fraction of that big a deficit, but the state reduced our aid and we signed the new teachers' contract. Now we have to show what we knew all along, that we don't have enough money to cover our bills this year.

Sen. Fawghourne:

Do you have to go out on the market and borrow the additional funds?

WegoWeb

Nope. We spend what are called early taxes. In essence, our money will run out and we will start spending tax money that was collected to pay for next year.

Sen. Fawghourne:

Ahhh. You write yourself a loan and don't even have to write yourself a loan application. Very cute.

WegoWeb

Well, I want the public to understand what we are doing and why. I want us to have to consciously make a decision on what personnel to reduce to avoid it. I want us starting a program of replacing not just the 2/3 million dollars we are overspending this year, but also replace the millions we have overspent in the last several years. With a $2 million cut below this years expenditures, it would only take two or three years to get back where we belong.

Sen. Fawghourne:

Unlike the previous scam, the street theatre, this sounds like a serious proposal. Did the other board members agree with you?

WegoWeb

I think it took them by by surprise.

Sen. Fawghourne:

Well, I hope they do some thinking about it. You have an election coming up in April and some of them will be running. I would hope that it becomes an issue for them.

WegoWeb

Only if the election is contested. Do you know any good candidates? They can get the petition forms at the district office.

Sen. Fawghourne:

I will encourage my imaginary friends to run. I will urge them to establish a position on the spending of early taxes. However, I have an imaginary date to have cappuccino with Britney Spears and she hates it when I make her wait. Gotta go. We'll talk again soon.